The present invention relates to manually operated switches for controlling servomotors to provide powered adjustment of the elevation, fore and aft position and tilt of a vehicle passenger seat.
In the design of present day production motor vehicles, it is commonplace to provide power adjusted seats and seat backs and to provide a set of switch knobs or buttons organized in a tactilely discernable pattern conveniently placed for manual operation by the occupant of the seat. Typically, the actuator knobs or buttons are situated in a pattern resembling the arrangement or orientation of the seat and back support and are located on the side of the seat or in the adjacent arm rest of the vehicle interior door panel. It has become acceptable in the marketplace to provide a separate knob configured as the end view of a seat and slidably moveable horizontally and vertically on separate axes and rotatable about a horizontal axis transverse to the seat to correlate for the user the desired direction of motion of the seat adjustment with the direction of motion of the seat adjustment switch knob.
It is known to have the adjustment knob for the seat portion extending from the side of the seat and elongated in the fore and aft direction to give the user the blind tactile identification of the knob as distinguished from a vertically elongated knob for actuation of the desired adjustment of the seat back support.
In order to provide two-axis translation movement and also a third axis rotatable movement to the seat adjustment knob for separate multifunction control of the seat adjustment, it has been required to provide three separate sets of switches actuated by the knob, with a separate actuator engaged by the knob for a set of switches for each direction of desired movement of the seat. Thus, the switch unit of the type mounted in the seat with the knob projecting outwardly therefrom has required three separate actuators extending exteriorly of the switching unit for engaging the single user actuator knob. This arrangement has thus provided for multiple openings in the switch housing for the actuators to extend outwardly therefrom; and, it has resulted in problems in service due to moisture and foreign matter entering the openings in the switch casing and causing deterioration of the switches within the switch unit housing.
Known multifunction switching arrangements for vehicle passenger seat adjustment have employed plunger-type actuators extending from the switch housing, with each actuator engaging a separate switch blade actuation member of a snap action switch. The switch contacts were exposed to the foreign matter and moisture entering the switch housing through the actuator openings and subject to deterioration therefrom and to interference with the operation of the snap acting switch contact blade mechanism.
Thus, it has been desired to provide a switching assembly and method of operating same which is reliable and low in cost for a multifunction user control of powered adjustment of vehicle passenger seat and to protect same against moisture and foreign particle entry within the switch housing and to thus protect the switching contacts from ambient contamination. This has been particularly desirable where the switching of the powered seat adjustment motors may be accomplished through relays and the current requirements for the user operated switch are reduced to levels not requiring solid contact, snap acting blade type switches.